1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to foam building blocks and the like and more particularly to an improved apparatus and method of making a foam building block capable of readily mounting an outer and/or an inner facing material to the foam building blocks.
2. Background of the Invention
In recent years, the prior has seen an increased use of interlocking foam blocks for the construction of a building structure. A plurality of interlocking foam blocks are assembled to form a wall. Each of the plurality of interlocking foam blocks has a vertical aperture. Reinforcing steel bar was located between the plurality of interlocking foam blocks as well as being located with a vertical aperture of each of the plurality of interlocking foam blocks. The vertical aperture of each of the plurality of interlocking foam blocks are filled with a curable material such as a cementitious material or the like. Upon curing of the curable material, the building structure consisting of a reinforced cementitious material located within the vertical aperture of each of the plurality of interlocking foam blocks.
Australian Patent 151,293 to Peter Lewis Bruning discloses a wall structure comprising a number of pillars, spaced apart and tied together by top and bottom horizontal members to afford an openwork frame. The pre-cast concrete walling slabs rest one upon another and fill in the spaces between the pillars. The pillars are formed with inwardly presented longitudinal rebates. The ends of the walling slabs are formed with outwardly presented rebates to afford end flanges which are received in the pillar rebates and bear against the inwardly presented faces thereof. The walling slabs are retained in assembled relation one upon another by wooden or other strips which are secured to the innermost faces of the pillars and overlap the end flanges of the walling slabs.
U.S. Pat. No. 791,380 to Albert A. Thompson discloses a fence-post of plastic material having embedded in a face thereof a longitudinal strip flush with the face of the post. The strip has a longitudinal groove in its rear face having converging sides which meet. The groove receives a portion of the material of the body of the post, in the form of a longitudinal ridge standing directly in the rear of the front face of the strip and in position to receive against its side faces the ends respectively of a staple driven through the strip.
U.S. Pat. No. 931,616 to H. H. Johanning discloses a cementitious post having a slotted channel in the face of the upper portion and an air chamber formed in the lower portion thereof. A strip fills the channel with a wire netting being embedded in the post throughout the extent thereof. The netting is located near the surface of the post with its longitudinal edges spaced apart and turned back at acute angles.
U.S. Pat. No. 958,619 to L. F. Frazier discloses a fence post consisting of a concrete base having a surface area greater than the post. A core rises centrally from and integral with the base and an exterior tile encloses the core and extends from the top of the post downwardly to and into the concrete base. The tile has one face recessed and a wooden strip secured in the recess.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,649,909 to T. F. McKeon discloses a concrete fence post comprising a main body portion and a pair of longitudinally extending spaced reinforcing strips of a width slightly less than the thickness of the post being embedded in the post and having their longitudinal edges within the marginal limits of the post. U-shaped clips embrace the strips at their longitudinal edges for retaining the same in operative relative position. The outer ends of the U-shaped clips are flared outwardly for preventing their removal from the concrete poured around said strips. A wooden strip is embedded in the main body portion between the reinforcing strips and having its inner face projecting inwardly of one of the longitudinal edges of the strips. The outer face of the wooden strip lies flush with one of the faces of said post with the U-shaped clips embedded in the post. The legs of the U-shaped clips engages opposite faces of the wooden strip in the post and the bight of the U-shaped clips lying snugly in engagement with the outer surface of the wooden strip. The ends of the legs of the U-shaped clips are angularly turned for preventing their removal from the post.
Although the use of interlocking foam blocks for the construction of a building structure has increase the efficiency of the construction of a building structure, the use of interlocking foam blocks of the prior art has certain disadvantages. A significant disadvantage of the interlocking foam blocks of the prior art is the difficulty of affixing an outer and/or an inner facing material to the foam building blocks.
In my prior application Ser. No. 08/581,366 filed Dec. 29, 1995, I disclosed a novel method and apparatus for affixing a covering material to a wall constructed of poured concrete within interlocking foam blocks. This application utilized a first and a second furring strip for insertion within a groove within the interlocking foam block. My prior invention stabilized the interlocking foam blocks during the pouring process as well as providing an attachment for sheathing material to the exterior and interior of the foam block wall.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mounting for attaching a facing material to a wall which is an alternative apparatus and process to my prior invention.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved mounting for attaching a facing material to a wall including a plurality of integral mountings for attaching an inner facing material to an inner wall surface and/or for attaching an outer facing material to an outer wall surface.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved mounting for attaching a facing material to a wall incorporating a plurality of mounting strips disposed in alignment with the block surface of each of the plurality of interlocking blocks.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved mounting for attaching a facing material to a wall including a fastening device for fixing an inner mounting strip to an outer mounting strip within outer and inner continuous wall grooves to provide an inner and an outer mounting for attaching the facing material to the wall.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved mounting for attaching a facing material to a wall including mechanical fasteners extending into the vertical aperture of each of the plurality of interlocking foam blocks for being retained by the curable material filled within the vertical aperture of each of the plurality of interlocking foam blocks.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved mounting for attaching a facing material to a wall including preforming the plurality of grooves in each of the plurality of interlocking blocks.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved mounting for attaching a facing material to a wall including cutting the plurality of grooves in each of the plurality of interlocking blocks after the plurality of interlocking foam blocks are formed into the wall.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.